THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I was honored to welcome Crown
Prince Abdallah to my ranch, a place that is very special for me, and a
place where I welcome special guests to our country. The Crown Prince
and I had a very cordial meeting that confirmed the strong relationship
between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.

Our partnership is important to both our nations. And it is
important to the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East and
the world. We discussed the critical importance of the war on terror.
Much of our discussion centered on the Middle East, and how to defuse
the current situation so we can get back on the path to peace.

Our two nations share a vision of two states, Israel and Palestine,
living side by side in peace and security. I reiterated that all
parties have responsibilities to help achieve that vision. The
Palestinian Authority must do more to stop terror. Israel must finish
its withdrawal, including resolution of standoff -- standoffs in
Ramallah and Bethelem, in a non-violent way.

We discussed the need for Arab states to condemn terror, to stop
incitement of violence, and as part of a long-term peace, to accept
Israel as a nation and a neighbor. We also agreed the world must join
in offering humanitarian aid to the many innocent Palestinians who are
suffering.

I told the Crown Prince how much I appreciate his vision for a
peaceful and integrated Middle East, and how I appreciated his
leadership in helping rally the Arab world toward that vision. I also
appreciated the Crown Prince's assurance that Saudi Arabia condemns
terror.

The Crown Prince is going to be in America for several more days,
and officials from both our governments will be continuing our
discussions with the hope that our efforts can help return us to the
path of peace -- a lasting peace.

I'll answer a couple of questions. Sondra.

Q Mr. President, Saudi officials have taken strong issue with
your characterization of Prime Minister Sharon as a man of peace, and
say that your tolerance of what he's doing risks damage to U.S.-Arab
relations. Were you and the Crown Prince able to bridge differences
over that issue, and find ways to fix the fragile Arab support?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, one of the really positive
things out of this meeting was the fact that the Crown Prince and I
established a strong personal bond. We spent a lot of time alone,
discussing our respective visions, talking about our families. I was
most interested in learning about how he thought about things. I'm
convinced that the stronger our personal bond is, the more likely it is
relations between our country will be strong.

I made it clear to him that I expected Israel to withdraw, just
like I've made it clear to Israel. And we expect them to be finished.
He knows my position. He also knows that I will work for peace, I will
bring parties along. But I think he recognizes that America can't do
it alone, that it's going to require a unified effort. And one of the
main things about this visit was to solidify that effort.

He's a man with enormous influence in the Middle East. I respect
that a lot, and I'm confident we can work together to achieve a peace.

Patsy.

Q Mr. President, the Crown Prince raised the prospect of
Saudi support for Iraq's oil embargo, and are you concerned that Arab
nations might use oil as a -- try to use oil as a bargaining chip in
the Middle East crisis?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Saudi Arabia made it clear, and has made it
clear publicly, that they will not use oil as a weapon. And I
appreciate that, respect that, and expect that to be the case.

Q Mr. President, to follow on what Sondra asked you, do you
feel like you made some personal headway in meeting with the Prince
today in reassuring him of the United States belief that all parties in
the region must work harder to --

THE PRESIDENT: I --

Q -- do you feel like -- do you feel like you need to convey
this message perhaps in a stronger way by sending somebody to the
region to meet with other Arab leaders who are raising concerns along
these lines?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Stretch, we just sent somebody to the
region. And that somebody has just returned from the region. And his
name is Colin Powell. And we're exploring all options. A lot of our
discussion with the Saudi delegation was how to get back on the path to
peace. Clearly, there's some things that must be done in the short run
-- finish the withdrawal by Israel, for the Palestinian Authority to
clamp down on terror. We discussed that in very plain and
straightforward terms.

As to where we head from now, one of the things that I think is
important for the Crown Prince to have heard is we're interested in his
advice, we're interested in his counsel. We share a vision and I
reminded him how much I appreciated his statement toward Israel. I
thought that was a breakthrough moment. And it -- and then he went and
sold that in Beirut, and I appreciated that, as well.

So there's a shared vision. And as to how to achieve that vision
is something we must consult with our friends. And that's what this
meeting was about. It went on quite a while because there was a lot to
discuss, plus, I want you to know, I had the honor of showing him my
ranch. He's a man who's got a farm and he understands the land, and I
really took great delight in being able to drive him around in a pickup
truck and showing him the trees and my favorite spots. And we saw a
wild turkey, which was good. But we had a very good discussion, and
I'm honored he came to visit.

Last question.

Q Mr. President, do you believe -- you said that the Crown
Prince is against terror. Do you think he will speak out? Did he make
any promises about speaking out? Should he speak out? And
secondarily, in Saudi Arabia, do you believe the leadership is doing
enough to deal with their own problems with terrorism that comes out of
their own country? Fifteen of the 19 hijackers --

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I -- the Crown Prince has been very strong in
condemning the murder of U.S. citizens. He's been very strong about
condemning those who committed those murders. And I appreciate that a
lot. Right after 9/11, he was one of the strongest voices of
condemnation. He understands how devious Osama bin Laden has been. He
knows that -- that anybody who -- you know, that a strategy by some
would be to split the United States and Saudi Arabia. It's a strong
and important friendship, and he knows that and I know that, and we're
not going to let that happen. So he's been very strong in the
condemnation of terror, for which I'm grateful.

And we're constantly working with him and his government on
intelligence-sharing and cutting off money. And we're reminding him on
occasion where we find money flows, and the government has been acting,
and I appreciate that very much. He's got a -- right now we're working
on an issue in the border region with Yemen to make sure that Yemen
doesn't become a haven for al Qaeda killers. And I appreciate his
cooperation on that matter, as well. It's in his interest that we rout
out terror.